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Dan
Byrd HOW TO WARM UP YOUR HORSE PROPERLY
There are many ways to warm up ones horse, but all riders should keep in mind a few of the basic techniques. A good five minutes walk is the best thing to start out your horse. After that, trot about five minutes each direction for a total of ten minutes. Then lope for approximately 10 minutes both ways. After that, go back to a walk. Now is the time to bend and flex your horse. A simple way to accomplish this is to bring your horse’s nose toward your knee. As your horse gets more flexible, your horse will eventually be able to touch his nose to your knee while standing still. Start walking in a 30 foot circle, then bend the horses head each direction while staying in the circle. After that, trot in the circle while bending the horses head back and forth. Then continue these at a cantor. At this point your horse should be supple enough to practice stops and rollbacks. One of the most important things to remember is to walk, trot and lope a couple of circles 10 minutes before you actually shoot. Most horses stand around and get cold after your initial warm-up waiting for the run. It's very important to trot, lope and walk right before your run.
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